Metabolic Muscle-Building

 

Hybrid Hypertrophy/Conditioning Programs Combining Full-Body Kettlebell Workouts with Multi-Split Bodybuilding Training

     A lot of our population, including lifters and bodybuilders, are metabolically compromised.  I’ve seen a number of studies, research papers, and health articles declaring this.  But I don’t need a study or some health expert to explain it to me.  All I have to do is go to the grocery store, a local restaurant, or the local gym (not that I go to a local gym; just saying) to see the obvious right before my eyes.  People are out of shape.  And, despite a push to make America healthy once again, we’re getting even more out of shape.  But it doesn’t have to be this way, and, in fact, despite more and more obese people in this country, there are also a greater number of people who are in fantastic shape.  Even though it’s easy to be out of shape these days, it’s also easier to be in shape.  There are, after all, plenty of resources available at the touch of one’s fingers.

     Take this article for instance.  If you want some programs to get you in stellar shape, this article has them.  The following programs will improve one’s metabolism.  They build conditioning.  They burn fat, assuming that one’s nutrition is “on point.”  But they will do more than that.  They will also build muscle and improve your ability to do more work, which will help you out when you return to a more “traditional” hypertrophy routine.

     In many ways, these programs are similar to one of the most popular programs that I’ve ever written.  Over 15 years ago, I wrote an article for IronMan magazine entitled “High-Frequency Focus Training” which combined full-body, high-frequency training (HFT) with more conventional bodypart workouts.  It worked then.  It works now.  This one’s a little different, as the full-body portion here will build your condition, as opposed to your strength and power, and, as the title suggests, hopefully get your metabolism “revved up.”

     There are benefits to both HFT and high-volume, high-intensity, low-frequency routines.  The programs I suggest here take advantage of both.

     These programs are not meant for outright beginners.  Make sure you have been training for at least 6 months on a more conventional program before attempting one of the workouts below.  This style of training also assumes some familiarity with kettlebell workouts and how to utilize them.  If you’ve not used kettlebells before, then I would suggest reading some of Pavel’s articles or books.  His Enter the Kettlebell or Return of the Kettlebell are must reads.  (The kettlebell movements that I recommend you start with here are almost verbatim the ones recommended, and taught, in Return of the Kettlebell.)  It also might be a good idea to get on YouTube and watch some videos demonstrating proper form for some of the lifts that I will suggest below, if you’re unaccustomed to them.  There are a plethora of videos that you can watch for free but you can’t go wrong with Dan John’s page.  With that out of the way, on with the programs:

     You will begin each workout with the kettlebell portion.  You will do, on average, between 200-400 reps total of kettlebell work.  If you’re a highly advanced kettlebell lifter already, then you might be able to push your reps to as many as 500 or even more, or you might be able to work up to that over time, but stick with my 200-400 rep recommendation at first.  You’ll be using HFT with the kettlebells and need to make sure that you can recover from the sessions.  As with most HFT, it’s best to do too little at first than too much.  As the workouts and weeks go by, you can increase the work as your body adapts to the volume.

     Once the kettlebell portion of the session is complete, you will move on to bodypart training, using “traditional” bodybuilding workouts with barbells, dumbbells, and perhaps bands or cable exercises, focusing on isolating the particular muscle groups and getting a good pump.  The program examples below will demonstrate how to do this with a 2-way, a 3-way, and a 4-way split.

Program #1: 2-Way Split - Upper/Lower

     The first program that I will provide shows how to use a 2-way split program.  This is the best regimen for you to start with.

Day One - Lower Body

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.  Select a weight on this movement where 20 reps would be really tough for one set.  Move fast in between sets, limiting your rest time, if possible, to around 20-30 seconds.  When you first start, you may have to rest more.  If you begin with, say, 1 minute of rest between sets, begin to decrease that rest time at each workout until you’re down to 20 seconds.  The same method applies to all of the kettlebell movements in each program.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps.  Finish the kettlebell portion with swings for more reps than the previous movements.  Once again, try to limit your rest between sets to 20-30 seconds.

• Walking lunges (bodyweight, dumbbell, or kettlebell): 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps (each leg)

• Sissy squats: 3-5 sets of 8-20 reps.  The amount of reps here will depend upon how well-conditioned you are to this movement.  Stop each set a couple reps shy of momentary muscular failure.

• Romanian or stiff-legged deadlifts (dumbbells or barbells): 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Standing calf raises (barbell, dumbbell, or bodyweight): 3-5 sets of 20-30 reps

• Steep incline situps: 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps

Day Two - Upper Body

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.  When you first start this program, your legs may be quite sore after the first day of training.  At first, you may need to drop down in weight from what you used on Day One.  As you adapt to the workout, work up to using the same weight on both training days.  For the remaining kettlebell exercises, the same wisdom applies.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps.

• Incline bench presses (barbell or dumbbell): 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps.  Use a weight where each set is a couple reps shy of momentary muscular failure.  Same methodology for all the upper body movements that follow.

• Wide-grip chins: 3-5 sets of 6-8 reps.  Use weight if needed.

• Behind-the-neck presses: 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Barbell curls or band/cable curls: 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Lying triceps extensions (barbell or dumbbells): 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps

     When you first start the program, you may want to use sets on the lower end of the spectrum.  As you advance, increase the sets to the max recommended.

     Train on a 2-on, 1-off, 1-on, 1-off, 1-on, 1-off schedule.  So, your training days might be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, for instance.  That’s just a recommendation.  Train whatever days you wish so long as it fits the schedule.

Program #2: 3-way, Push/Pull/Legs Split

Day One - Push

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps. Same format as Program #1.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Bench presses (barbell or dumbbell): 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Incline bench presses (barbell or dumbbell): 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

• Military presses: 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

• Seated behind-the-neck presses: 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

• Lying triceps extensions (barbell or dumbbell): 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

• Triceps pushdowns (bar or rope): 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

Day Two - Pull

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Wide-grip chins: 6-8 sets of 6-8 reps.  Use weight if needed.

• One-arm dumbbell rows: 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps (each arm)

• Barbell curls or band/cable curls: 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

• Seated dumbbell curls: 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps (each arm)

Day Three - Legs

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Sissy squats: 6-8 sets of 10-20 reps

• Walking lunges: 6-8 sets of 10-20 reps (each leg)

• Romanian or stiff-legged deadlifts: 6-8 sets of 10-20 reps

• Leg extensions: 3-4 sets of 20-25 reps

Supersetted w/

• Leg curls: 3-4 sets of 20-25 reps

• Standing calf raises (barbell, dumbbell, or bodyweight): 5-6 sets of 20-30 reps

• Steep incline situps: 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps

     Train on a 2-on, 1-off, 1-on, 1-off rotation.  This means that if you start the program on a Monday, you would train your push workout on Monday, your pull workout on Tuesday, your leg workout on Thursday, and then you would repeat the routine starting on Saturday.

Program #3: 4-way split - Chest, Shoulders/Back/Legs/Arms

Day One - Chest and Shoulders

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Wide-grip dips: 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps.  Use weight if needed.  If you have the shoulder flexibility to do it, I suggest “Gironda dips,” where you use a reverse grip with your elbows flared out.  If not, then simply use a wide, but conventional, grip with your shoulders flared.  You should feel this in your chest and not in your triceps.

• Incline dumbbell flyes: 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Decline pushups: 4-5 sets of near max reps.  Do these with your feet elevated on a bench or a chair.  The reps may be relatively low or high, depending upon your body size and your individual strength.  Whatever reps you do, stop each set about 1 to 2 reps shy of failure.

• Behind-the-neck presses (standing): 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps

• Seated dumbbell presses: 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Dumbbell lateral raises (seated or standing): 4-5 sets of 14-16 reps

Day Two - Back

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Wide-grip chins: 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps

• Seated cable rows (undergrip, wide-grip, or v-bar): 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps

• One-arm dumbbell rows: 4-5 sets of 14-16 reps

Day Three - Legs

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Hack squats (machine or barbell): 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps

• Walking lunges: 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps (each leg)

• Sissy squats: 4-5 sets of near-max reps.  Do almost as many reps as possible on each set, stopping a rep or two shy of failure.  You should only be doing this 4-way split routine if you’re fairly advanced, so the reps should be relatively high.

• Romanian or stiff-legged deadlifts: 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps

• Standing leg curls (machine, cable, or bands): 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps (each leg)

• Standing calf raises (barbell, dumbbell, or bodyweight): 8-10 sets of 20-30 reps

• Steep incline situps: 6-8 sets of 15-20 reps

Day Four - Arms

• Double kettlebell front squats: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Double kettlebell cleans: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Double kettlebell overhead presses: 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps

• Single kettlebell swings: 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps

• Barbell curls or band/cable curls: 8-10 sets of 10-12 reps

• Seated dumbbell curls: 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps (each arm)

• Lying triceps extensions (barbell or dumbbell): 8-10 sets of 10-12 reps

• Triceps pushdowns (bar or rope): 4-6 sets of 10-12 reps

     Train on a 2-on, 1-off rotation or a 2-on, 1-off, 2-on, 2-off schedule, taking either 6 or 7 days off between workouts for each bodypart.

Some Tips and Options

     Any of these workouts will be effective, as you’re training kettlebells with high-frequency no matter the split.  Actually, any of the programs can be good for either fat-burning or muscle-building.  More than anything, it will come down to how you eat.  If you utilize this style of training to burn fat, then limit your total calories to 10 or 12 times your bodyweight on a daily basis.  If it’s mass-building that you’re seeking, then consume at least 20 times your bodyweight in calories daily.  This program will make you hungry, which can be good or bad.  If it causes you to go on a late night Twinkie binge, then not so much, but if it ensures that you get plenty of clean muscle-building meals, then all the better.  Whatever goal you are pursuing, be sure to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.

     No matter the program that you choose, try to decrease the rest between sets as the weeks go by, on both the kettlebell section and the traditional bodybuilding part of the workout.

     When it comes to metabolic training, or, really, almost any strictly hypertrophy program, don’t train with slow reps for the most part.  To understand why, here’s some advice from Scott Abel:

     The other day I received an E-mail from a client, who sounded a little confused. It seems that a so-called "personal trainer" walked by while my client was training, and offered this brilliant advice: "You should lighten the load substantially, and do a 4-4-1 tempo, to get more out of the set!"

     Say what? My client was confused because I had advised to lift explosively, regardless of rep range. So who was right?

     Let's take a look. If I lift 100 pounds for 5 reps, and you lift 100 pounds for 5 reps; I do 5 reps in about 5 seconds, you use the tempo above and take about 30 seconds to lift it. We both performed the same amount of work. But here's a question for you: whose set required more power? Whose set placed a higher metabolic demand on his body? The answer should be obvious. My set, of course.

     Power, folks, is a rudimentary principle expressed in many ways, but is essential to training for size, strength, thickness, etc. The simple basic premise is that it takes more power to move a weight in one second than it does to move it in two seconds. Over the course of a workout this is seen as an expression of more work in the same amount of time, or the same amount of work in less time. These are all expressions of the principle of power. You'll notice, of course, that the "method" of tempo suggested above by the moron "personal trainer" violates this principle.

     Next question. In the above example which one of us achieved the most overload? The answer is that it's a trick question. If that 100 pounds is a weight we are used to performing, then neither of us achieved overload for that set. Therefore, the advice of lightening a load you can already do explosively and take 4 times as long to do it, is faulty logic that does not follow basic principles. It means negating max load, and therefore negating the overload principle in general. This is just one example of "methods" being not only many, but also mistaken.

     Now if you follow this so far, then you may be thinking that maximum load is therefore the way to abide by the Overload Principle. Well, yes, but only if you understand max load. I want you to read the next sentence a few times and let it sink in before we continue.

     Max load is not the same thing as max weight.*

     And here is similar advice from Pavel from his book Return of the Kettlebell:

     Fast eccentrics are all the rage today among the muscle hypertrophy researchers. Texans Paddon-Jones et al. (2001) have compared the training effects of slow and fast negatives. After 10 weeks the slow negative group did not experience significant changes in strength or muscle fiber type. Fast negatives, on the other hand, have yielded remarkable improvements. The eccentric strength went up 30% and the concentric strength 27%. At the same time the fast group’s percentage of slow twitch type I fibers dropped from 54% to 39% while their type IIb fast fiber population grew from 6% to 13%!

     Canucks, Farthing, and Chilibeck (2003) concluded that “fast [eccentric] training is… most effective for muscle hypertrophy and strength gain” following an eight week experiment with what appears to be everyone’s, even scientists’, favorite exercise—curls.

     Another group of Canadian researchers, Shepstone et al. (2005), compared the training effects of fast and slow curl negatives. Both groups’ slow fibers have grown. Ditto for the fast fibers but the “fast” subjects had greater gains. Both groups’ biceps cross sections have increased with the fast group “showing a trend toward being greater”. Strength also improved in both groups, again the fast subjects showing better gains at all tested velocities. The scientists concluded that “training using Fast… lengthening contractions leads to greater hypertrophy and strength gains than Slow… lengthening contractions. The greater hypertrophy seen in the Fast-trained … may be related to a greater amount of protein remodeling (Z-band streaming…).”**

     Now, despite what Abel wrote above, I do think there may be a place at times for certain programs that use slow negatives—I’ve actually been experimenting with a program the last few months that uses slow, frequent, heavy training, but more on that in a few weeks if I’m satisfied with the results—however, when it comes to the workout programs in this article, follow Abel’s and Pavel’s advice above.  When it comes to the metabolic effects of training, fast is superior.

     As you advance, you may want to experiment with and try some different set/rep combinations with the kettlebells and some different kettlebell movements.  Here are some options that you could plug into any or all of the programs above:

• You can use single-arm versions of all of the kettlebell exercises listed.  Just make sure you do an equal amount of work for both sides.

• Kettlebell goblet squats are a good alternative to the double kettlebell front squats.

• Some other good kettlebell movements include: snatches (single or double), clean and jerks (when you clean, drop down into a full squat), halos, deadlifts (single or double—stand on two boxes for increased depth), thrusters, and high pulls.

• You can reduce the number of kettlebell movements to 2 per workout, but do more total reps.  For instance, at one session you could do squats and cleans for 12 to 16 sets of each movement and at the 2nd session you could do overhead presses and swings for those same number of sets.

• When using only 2 lifts, you can also train with a heavier weight on each movement and utilize some different set/rep combos.  Five rounds of 2, 3, 5, and 10 reps is a good choice—use a weight where 10 reps is really tough.  5 rounds of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 is another good option.  Either way, you’re getting 100 reps per exercise.  If you want a challenge, increase the number of rounds each week until you’re doing 10 rounds of 2,3,5,10 or 2,4,6,8.

• One of my favorite ways to use kettlebells is to do complexes.  This is more intense than simply resting between sets as I have recommended so far.  WIth complexes, you do several exercises back-to-back without ever setting the kettlebell down.  For example, you could do the squats, cleans, presses, and swings back-to-back without letting the kettlebell leave your hands.  If you do this, however, you will need to lower the rep ranges on a couple of the movements.  Dan John recommends what he calls the “armor building complex.”  He calls it this because he says it “armors” the lifter—he recommends it for football players and fighters, in particular—with muscle in all the “right places,” allowing the player or fighter to take a hit on the field or in the ring.  Anyway, he suggests doing double kettlebell cleans, squats, and presses in that order.  Here, I would suggest adding the swings to the end of those three for even more of a metabolic kick!  The only “drawback” is that you can’t use as heavy a weight because you have to press with the same weight as you squat, but the cardiovascular nature of the complex more than makes up for the lower poundage.  Do the most reps with the squats and swings.  The presses will utilize the least reps and the cleans will be in between the two.  I suggest starting with the cleans for a set of 6, then do the squats for 8 reps, followed by presses for 4 reps, then end with the swings for 10 to 15 reps.  If you want to train heavier, then do cleans for 3s, squats for 5s, presses for 2s, and swings for 8s.  That’s still 18 reps non-stop, so it will still be a heck of a conditioning movement.  Or for a real torcher, do 10/12/8/20.  Whatever poundage/rep range you select, do 4 to 6 rounds.

• Another option is to use only one kettlebell exercise at each session.  You do one movement but really ramp up the reps.  You could even try the 10,000 swing challenge for your kettlebell section of the workout.  For how to do that, click on the link for a thorough explanation of the program.

     If you’re looking for a workout that can really get your metabolism “humming” again as well as a way to increase your ability to handle heavier workloads, give one, or all, of these programs a try.  More muscle and a lean, hard physique will be the results.  All you have to do is put in the work.

*“Max Load Training in the Real World” by Scott Abel, in the online magazine T-Nation.

**Return of the Kettlebell: Explosive Kettlebell Training for Explosive Muscle Gains by Pavel.  Copyright ©2009 Power by Pavel, Inc.